Senate confirms James Bridenstine as next NASA administrator

On Thursday, the US Senate narrowly voted to confirm James Bridenstine, a Republican congressman from Oklahoma, to run the space agency. The vote fell closely on party lines with 50 Republicans voting for President Donald Trump's nominee and 47 Democrats and two independents voting against him.

"I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence," Bridenstine said in a post on his House page. "I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the president's vision for American leadership in space."

Bridenstne couldn't immediately be reached for comment beyond his post.

NASA conducts research on climate science and maintains a page titled Global Climate Change. "The agency's research encompasses solar activity, sea level rise, the temperature of the atmosphere and the oceans, the state of the ozone layer, air pollution, and changes in sea ice and land ice," the page reads.

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